Jersey City doctor prescribes cops, firefighters with hormones and steroids

Patti Sapone/The Star Ledger Harold Motley, a retired Jersey City firefighter, holds an old vial of human growth hormone prescribed for him years ago by Dr. Joseph Colao. The late, Dr. Colao was known for writing mass prescriptions for steroids and HGH to hundreds of police, firefighters and corrections officers. Our story focuses on the operation and the aftermath.

A Jersey City doctor prescribed steroids and hormones to cops and firefighters in the area, according to the Jersey Journal.

Many of the hormones Dr. Joseph Colao prescribed to his patients cause aggression, confusion and reckless behavior, according to reports. Six of hispatients - four police officers and two corrections officers - were named in lawsuits alleging excessive force or civil rights violations around the time they received drugs from him or shortly afterward, reports say.

According to a Star-Ledger investigation, at least 248 New Jersey law enforcement officers and firefighters obtained anabolic steroids or other testosterone-boosting hormones from Colao.